Are you an experienced leader in the financial technology space with a deep understanding of payment systems, terminal operations, and transaction switching? Unified Payment Services Limited (UP®), Nigeria’s premier Payments and Financial Technology company, is seeking a visionary and results-driven professional to fill the critical role of Head of Department (HOD), Domestic Switching & Terminals Operations.

About Unified Payment Services Limited (UP®)

Founded in 1997 by a consortium of leading Nigerian banks, UP® operates as a shared infrastructure for the banking community and a leading Payment Service Provider (PSP) both within and outside Nigeria. With a firm commitment to being the most preferred e-payment service provider in Africa, UP® continues to champion financial inclusion and technological innovation across the continent.

Job Objective

The HOD, Domestic Switching & Terminals Operations is a high-impact leadership role responsible for directing the company's domestic switching and terminal operations. In this position, you will ensure seamless processing, routing, settlement, and reconciliation of all card, POS, and electronic payment transactions across UP’s robust fintech platforms.

This role is vital for maintaining exceptional system reliability, high transaction success rates, minimal downtime, and absolute compliance with Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), NIBSS, and international card scheme standards.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

1. Switching Operations Management

Oversee end-to-end domestic transaction switching, routing, and authorization across multiple channels, including POS, Web, Mobile, ATM, and QR codes.
Ensure continuous, real-time monitoring, uptime optimization, and high performance of the payment switching platform.
Collaborate closely with infrastructure, network, and technology partners to minimize latency and ensure high transaction throughput.
Coordinate complex integration and certification projects with external banks, payment aggregators, and fintech partners.

2. Terminal (POS) Operations Oversight

Supervise the complete lifecycle of POS and terminal systems, including deployment, merchant activation, continuous monitoring, firmware updates, and ongoing technical maintenance.
Develop and track key terminal performance metrics, including field efficiency and transaction success rates.
Coordinate effectively with terminal manufacturers, vendors, acquirers, and Payment Terminal Service Administration (PTSA) partners.

3. Settlement, Reconciliation & Dispute Resolution

Provide strategic oversight of daily transaction settlements and reconciliations for all POS and card schemes with partner banks and financial institutions.
Ensure 100% accuracy in postings, minimize reconciliation errors, and lead prompt dispute/chargeback resolution processes in line with industry regulatory timelines.
Partner with internal Finance, Risk, and IT teams to enforce transparency and financial controls.

4. Risk, Compliance & Regulatory Adherence

Enforce strict compliance with CBN PTSP/PTSA guidelines, NIBSS standards, and global PCI-DSS requirements.
Establish robust internal control systems to mitigate operational risks, transaction failures, and fraud.
Act as the primary operational contact for internal/external audits and compliance reviews, ensuring all operations are fully documented.

5. Technology, Innovation & Leadership

Partner with Engineering and IT teams to upgrade switching architecture, design secure APIs, and implement advanced transaction monitoring tools.
Drive process automation and implement advanced data-driven dashboards for predictive system health monitoring.
Lead, mentor, and build a high-performing Switching and Terminal Operations team, fostering a culture of operational excellence and continuous learning.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Your success in this role will be measured by:

Switching infrastructure uptime and transaction success rates.
Speed and accuracy of daily settlements and reconciliation.
Mean Time to Repair/Recover (TTR) during system incidents.
Reduction in payment disputes, chargebacks, and transaction failures.
Excellent audit compliance scores and regulatory alignment.

Role Requirements

Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Finance, Engineering, or a related field. A Master’s Degree or MBA is highly preferred.
Industry Knowledge: Comprehensive knowledge of electronic payment infrastructures, ISO 8583 messaging standards, card scheme processing (Visa, Mastercard, Verve), and NIBSS operational interfaces.
Technical Expertise: Proven experience managing complex POS networks, switching engines, API integrations, and settlement cycles.
Professional Experience: Minimum of 10 years of experience in payment operations, electronic banking, or switching, with a minimum of 3 years spent in a leadership/management role within a fintech, bank, or Payment Service Provider (PSP) environment.